


He's Collecting Bugs on His Body;

by tmntransformer



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), M/M, University, iwaoi if you squint even harder, kurodai if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-15
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-05-26 20:45:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6255202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tmntransformer/pseuds/tmntransformer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It starts with bumblebees. Five of them to be precise. Each one only a couple of inches long and dotted almost randomly on the lower part of his spine, beginning from the waist line of his shorts and flying upwards. The three highest have their wings outstretched as if in mid-flight, the cross-sectioned patterns on them almost lost in the harsh light of the changing room; the two closest to his shorts have their wings tucked in, resting on an invisible flower.</p><p>- - - </p><p>One day after practice Tsukishima notices that Hinata has a tattoo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	He's Collecting Bugs on His Body;

**Author's Note:**

  * For [day](https://archiveofourown.org/users/day/gifts).



> This is my fic for the HQ Rare Pair Exchange 2016.
> 
> Prompt was any pairing with Hinata.  
> & TsukiHina is a personal favourite of my own so I went with that.

It starts with bumblebees. Five of them to be precise. Each one only a couple of inches long and dotted almost randomly on the lower part of his spine, beginning from the waist line of his shorts and flying upwards. The three highest have their wings outstretched as if in mid-flight, the cross-sectioned patterns on them almost lost in the harsh light of the changing room; the two closest to his shorts have their wings tucked in, resting on an invisible flower.

“Woo, it’s weird right?” Hinata’s bubbly voice cuts through the silence. Tsukishima blinks down at him, opening his mouth to apologise for staring, it’s not weird just unexpected, but Hinata isn’t even looking at him and barrels on as he rubs a towel over his damp hair vigorously. “It’s like we’re back to being first years all over again!”

“We are first years again.” Tsukishima points out. Hinata pops his head out of the top of his towel, eyebrows furrowed as if Tsukishima has said something that doesn’t make sense.

“Yeah.” He agrees, nodding slowly, “but it’s still weird!” Something flashes in his eyes, a moment where for once he doesn’t look endlessly optimistic and Tsukishima feels a twinge of regret. In the past three years since they’ve known each other he likes to think he’s gotten marginally better at reading the atmosphere, but Hinata has always been more unpredictable than others. “It’s different.” Hinata adds, not looking at him as he opens his locker and drags out a t-shirt.

“Yeah.” Different because they’re not first years at Karasuno anymore. Different because they’re not at each other’s throats every day like they used to be. Different because despite promising each other – a little drunkenly – at the end of their last tournament they’d go to the same university, Yamaguchi went with Yachi to Hokkaido and Kageyama floated off with a sports scholarship to Nippon. Of course that means he’s only thirteen minutes away on the metro, and less than an hour walk away, as opposed to three trains and ten hours like Yamaguchi, but it’s still strange to watch someone other than Kageyama set for Hinata. “But different isn’t always bad.” Hinata wrinkles his nose, before bursting into light peals of laughter.

“Wah! It’s even more weird for _you_ to comfort _me_!” He throws his towel into Tsukishima’s scowling face, still laughing. By the time Tsukishima has thrown it back at him he’s already pulling his t-shirt on, tugging it straight over the top of the bumblebees as if they’re not there at all. Hinata crouches to stuff his kit into his bag. Their Tsukuba kit is red and white and reminds Tsukishima a little of Nekoma’s; he never thought he’d miss the orange. He trades his sports glasses for his normal frames and waits for Hinata to tie up his laces.

Back when they were first years at Karasuno they’d automatically fallen into pairs and he’d only rarely had clean up duty with Hinata. Now however their Captain often shuffles them together, the two high school friends from Miyagi, and Tsukishima is surprised at how easily it’s been to slip into this new partnership. Hinata is shorter than Yamaguchi and despite growing a few inches since they were fifteen he’s still the shortest on their team. He sets about collecting the balls, leaving Tsukishima to unhook the nets, only coming to help roll them up. Yamaguchi always worked in tandem with Tsukishima; they each unhooked one side of the net and met in the middle. He’s used to the symmetry of the motions, the comfort of the familiar. Hinata’s familiar but he’s also erratic and clumsy. His feet catch in the net more often than not and he always manages to trick Tsukishima into a competition of who can sweep their side of the gym the fastest. He can’t zone out for long with Hinata because Hinata always demands his active participation. It’s exhausting. Tsukishima is surprised by how much it doesn’t bother him.

“See ya tomorrow then!” Hinata barrels into his shoulder, eyes bright and hair reflecting the sunset in a blinding way.

“Right. Tomorrow.” Tsukishima nods, trying to shake himself out of this melancholy mood he’s worked himself into and watches Hinata cycle away on the same bike he’s had since they first met. Even here in Tokyo he insists on riding his bike. Tsukishima smiles; things might be different but Hinata’s still the same. He decides to walk home, preferring to take the extra half an hour than to suffocate on the metro.

“Nice day?” Akaashi asks him over the top of his laptop as Tsukishima throws his keys into the little dish by the door. It was a house-warming gift from Bokuto, who hand-crafted it and claims it’s an owl. Tsukishima secretly thinks it looks like a squashed slug, but he made sure to smile and say thank you regardless.

“The same as usual.” Tsukishima shrugs, dumping his bag on the kitchen counter and sitting himself on the stool next to Akaashi. Every day he feels lucky that he didn’t have to sign up for shared university accommodation. Akaashi was looking for a roommate for his second year and asked Tsukishima as soon as his acceptance letter came through. The place they found is about half way between both their universities. It’s small, with a corridor kitchen right next to the door – no room for a table and chairs, just a counter and two mismatched stools. They managed to squash a two-person sofa next to the window in the corner of the room and Kuroo donated them his old T.V. It perches awkwardly on the boxes they used to move in with. Kuroo also gave them a long branch, sharpened at one end, explaining that he lost the remote control ages ago but had measured the width of the room exactly and they could still change the channel without having to get up from the sofa if they used the stick. Tsukishima is still a little annoyed by how right he turned out to be. Their bathroom has no bath, just a shower, a sink that Tsukishima has to bend over to use and a toilet that has to be held down forcefully before it flushes. But Nishinoya gifted them the broken parts of his old mirror and Akaashi had positioned them in an artful way that makes the bathroom feel more spacious.

This sacrifice of common space was so they could each have their own bedroom – tiny as they both are. Akiteru had taken the train with him and all his stuff and helped him nail three shelves onto his wall. He’s still not sure he’s allowed to make such changes but so far nobody’s complained. After one curious glance around his shoebox room Akiteru had disappeared into Tokyo for nearly an hour, arriving back with long, flat wheeled boxes that fit perfectly under his bed. He must have known Tsukishima would choose to use the one wall not taken up by the window, bed or door for a desk instead of a wardrobe.

Tsukishima’s barely been in for a minute when a heavy hand thumps at their door.

“Akaaaashi!” Three more thumps. A pause. “Akaaaaaashi!” Akaashi continues to type diligently, not even flinching when Bokuto persists louder. Tsukishima smirks at him.

“What did he do this time?” Akaashi narrows his eyes at the screen, sighing heavily.

“He did my laundry for me because I was running out of clean socks.” His fingers don’t pause in their typing as he explains this; he has a paper due tomorrow.

“The bastard.”

“Akaaaaaashi!” Bokuto wails pathetically on the other side of the door. “I’m so sorry!”

“It’s on the sofa, take a look.” Akaashi growls lowly at Tsukishima, as if Bokuto might think they’ve gone out if he can’t hear them. Tsukishima hops down from his stool as loudly as possible and wanders over to the sofa and the laundry bag that’s thrown on it.

“Oh.” Tsukishima lifts up the first layer of clothes, which in all honesty are folded more neatly than he expected from Bokuto, just to see if the second layer is the same as the first. “Everything is pink.” He says needlessly.

“Yes.” Agrees Akaashi. “Everything is pink.”

“Oh.”

“Except for the red t-shirt. That’s still red.”

“Well thank God for that.”

“Akaaaashi!” Bokuto’s voice has reached an unusually shrill pitch, even for him. Tsukishima eyes the door carefully.

“That’s not the worst part.” Akaashi tells his laptop screen. “He delivered the news to me along with two jumbo packs of pink marshmallows and then called me _his_ pink marshmallow.” Tsukishima honestly tries to hold back his laughter, but he can’t help it. He almost wishes he’d taken the metro home now to make it back in time to witness that first hand.

“What’s wrong with being his marshmallow?” Tsukishima teases, walking back over to the kitchen.

“It’s disgusting.” Akaashi grumbles, but the tips of his ears have turned red. It’s then that Tsukishima understands the real problem isn’t that Bokuto accidentally turned half of Akaashi’s wardrobe pink or that he tried to apologise with two jumbo bags of marshmallows. The real problem is that Akaashi isn’t angry about his laundry, is probably still touched by the gesture, and was won over by a disgusting pet name. The real problem is that once upon a time Akaashi was a hard nut to crack and he doesn’t want Bokuto to realise how easy he is these days. Tsukishima hums thoughtfully as he finally locates the marshmallows. He tears open a packet and steps over to open the door a crack.

“Akaaa- _ah!_ Tsukki!” Bokuto deflates pathetically. “Tell him I’m sorry. I’m _super_ sorry!” Tsukishima chews slowly, toeing the door open wider.

“Tell marshmallow yourself.” He smirks at Akaashi as he walks passed. “I’ll be in my room. With my earphones on.” He winks over his shoulder, laughing at Akaashi’s deepening scowl and Bokuto’s happy chirps.

It isn’t until he’s turned on the rickety old fan he’d won off of Tanaka and Yamamoto last week, fired up his laptop and chosen a movie to watch that he remembers what Hinata had said earlier, that things are different. But different doesn’t mean bad.

* * *

And it’s possible he’d have forgotten all about the bumblebees if it wasn’t for the ladybug a few days later. Hinata is complaining about how Kenma gives up after five minutes when trying to help him study – and how being tutored through Skype by Yamaguchi and Yachi is more confusing than helpful – as he tucks a loose strand of hair behind his ear that Tsukishima sees it. On his pinky finger, just below the first knuckle, there’s a ladybug. And now that Tsukishima thinks about it for the last week or so Hinata has had his little finger wrapped in a bandage.

“So you’ll help me right?” Hinata blinks up at him, nodding earnestly because he knows Tsukishima tends to follow along when he’s been jolted out of a reverie. Or at least he used to. Tsukishima narrows his eyes.

“Help you with what?” It’s probably wrong how satisfied Hinata’s answering groan makes him feel. He tries not to think about it too much.

“My physics homework.” Hinata pouts, shuffling his feet. “It’s impossible!” Tsukishima rolls his eyes and pretends to think it over, when really tutoring Hinata stopped becoming a chore sometime around their second year at Karasuno. In exams his recall of topics he’s gone over with Hinata is much better; all his _blehs_ and _blarghs_ are hard to forget. And that’s not even thinking about the hundreds of memorable ways he’s able to distort his face.  
  
“Alright.” He pushes his glasses up his nose, looking down at Hinata in the same way that used to make him squirm but for some reason has him beaming happily. “Come over Sunday.”

“Wahoo!” Hinata’s voice echoes off of the walls. “Tobio owes me two-hundred yen! He didn’t believe you’d help.”

“Two-hundred yen won’t even buy you a cup of coffee most places, idiot.”

“Urgh,” Hinata cringes dramatically. “I don’t like coffee. Kenma drinks about fifty cups a day, but it tastes like soggy shoes and disappointment to me.”

“It worries me that you know what soggy shoes taste like.”

“Hah! First you’re helping me with my homework with no weird payments and now you’re worried about me?” Hinata drapes his arm across his forehead, fluttering his eyelashes. “Has Stingy-shima finally died? Defeated by the hustle and bustle of Tokyo?” Tsukishima prods him in the chest, smiling victoriously when Hinata almost topples completely over.

“I wasn’t worried about you.” He picks up his bag, throwing it over one shoulder, and opens the door. “And who said anything about no weird payments?” Last year for finals he’d exchanged his valuable brain time for all kinds of household chores. Watching Kageyama scrub his running shoes clean is a moment he’ll always look back on fondly.

“Ack! But you already agreed!” Hinata splutters, leaping after him with wide eyes. “You can’t tack anything on after! It’s against the rules!” Tsukishima rolls his eyes, letting go of the open door so that Hinata has to jump forwards not to be hit in the face by it.

“What rules? We’re in Tokyo now.”

“Are you trying to sound cool?” Hinata’s voice floats two steps behind him as Tsukishima makes his way down the stairs. “Because you definitely don’t sound cool.”

“Bokuto thinks I’m cool. Kuroo too.” Part of him hates himself for still so easily rising to the bait after all this time. But there’s something about the petulant way Hinata looks at him and the whine his voice seems to take on only when they’re alone together that makes Tsukishima fall back into his sixteen year old self like nothing else does. What’s even worse is that still, after all this time, after proving himself to be at least equal to Bokuto and Kuroo many times over Hinata still gulps audibly behind him. Tsukishima looks over his shoulder in time to catch Hinata’s eyes shining with jealousy.

“Maybe you sound cooler when you’re with them.” He hedges, taking the last few steps in a single leap. “You must be cooler around Akaashi for sure.” Hinata has clearly yet to witness the walking marshmallow that Akaashi has morphed into.

“I’m exactly the same.” Hinata doesn’t hear him, already fiddling with his bike chain and shouting about how hungry he is.

“And we still haven't found a place that has pork buns as good as Ukai’s. Every day Kenma finds another one for us to test out but it’s not the _same_.”

“Maybe you don’t need to find the perfect pork bun.” Hinata blinks up at him, fingers pausing. “Maybe pork buns were your Miyagi snack and you need to find a different one for Tokyo.” Hinata huffs out a breath of air, humming thoughtfully. He finally gets the padlock off of his bike and stands up, patting his shorts down.

“I can’t tell if you’re nicer in Tokyo or if you just seem nicer because you’re the only crow left.” He smiles happily.

“You’re definitely not getting tutored for free after that.” Tsukishima flicks him in the forehead, confused about whether he’s really offended or not. He sort of understands. Hinata doesn’t annoy him half as much as he used to. Every morning when they begin practice he feels a little warmer once his face bops into view. Neither of them has made a big enough impression here to have a spot as a team regular yet and there was a moment where Tsukishima’s old feelings of inadequacy threatened to return – what is the point of trying so hard to only ever achieve mediocrity? – but then Hinata had punched him in the shoulder, vibrating with excitement on the bench next to him; _we’re in a Tokyo team, how cool!_ And just like that it was easier to breathe. Hinata makes a squawking sound, rubbing his forehead harder than Tsukishima had flicked it and throws a leg over his bike.

“Mean.” He pushes off the ground and pedals quickly away. “See ya tomorrow then!” He throws over his shoulder. It’s the second time, Tsukishima realises on his walk home, that he’s managed to let himself get distracted before he could ask about the bumblebees. Or ladybug.

Some habits die hard, so as soon as Tsukishima gets home he sends Yamaguchi a message telling him to go on Skype. He doesn’t even have to wait ten minutes before Yamaguchi’s icon pops up.

“Tsukki!” Even through the screen Tsukishima can see the crinkles at the corner of his eyes and count the freckles across his nose. Probably the hardest thing about his life now is being so far away from Yamaguchi. Tsukishima will never tell him but he knows that if Yamaguchi had followed him to Tokyo then Tokyo would feel no different to Miyagi. But he’s happy that for once Yamaguchi prioritised his own dreams. A little bit proud too.

“Hey.” He waves and smiles, knowing that any kind of smile he sends Yamaguchi’s way he’ll get back tenfold.

“What’s up?” They only really Skype when they happen to both be online at the same time. Tsukishima isn’t the best with words in person and has always preferred texting or e-mailing as it gives him longer to think out an appropriate response. But he wanted to see Yamaguchi’s facial expressions for this conversation, just in case he’s a couple of years behind everyone else.

“Have you ever noticed Hinata’s tattoos?” Even saying the word tattoo out loud seems weird.

“Eh? Shouyou?” Yamaguchi’s eyebrows disappear into his fringe and his mouth drops open a little. “Tattoos? As in _plural_?”

“Mhm” Tsukishima feels better knowing that he wasn’t the last to notice. They must be a new addition after all. “He has five bumblebees on his back.” His glances down at his keyboard, feeling weird about telling Yamaguchi he’s seen Hinata’s back even though he’s seen it hundreds of times before. “And a ladybug on his finger.” He holds up his pinky finger to indicate where the ladybug was today.

“Eh?” Yamaguchi shakes his head a little. “He has tattoos of insects?” He blinks slowly.

“I guess I could have been seeing things.” They both know that’s unlikely. Almost as unlikely as Hinata getting tattoos of insects.

“You saw them today for the first time?” Yamaguchi always needs all of the facts before he’ll draw conclusions.

“I saw the ladybug for the first time today. I saw the bumblebees a few days ago.” He doesn’t tell Yamaguchi that it almost slipped his mind after the marshmallow incident. Things like his friends getting any kind of tattoo would never slip Yamaguchi’s mind.

“But I spoke to him yesterday! And he never mentioned it!” Yamaguchi chews nervously on his lower lip. Tsukishima himself had thought it weird for Hinata not to mention it; he’s the kind of person who shows off how expertly he underlined a title in his homework.

“Maybe he forgot?”

“Are the bumblebees big? How much of his back do they take up? The ladybug must be small right? Are they in black and white or colour? Do you think they _mean_ something?”

“Yamaguchi!” Tsukishima drops his head onto his desk heavily. It’s harder to shut him up when he’s not there in person.

“Sorry Tsukki!” Tsukishima lifts his head up slightly, holding his hand in front of his laptop camera with his thumb and forefinger a few inches apart.

“They’re like this big.” He might have made them bigger in his memory but Yamaguchi will forgive him. “Three of them have their wings spread out so are a little bigger. Yes. They’re all in colour. Knowing Hinata they don’t mean anything.” He grumbles the last part because he knows Yamaguchi will scold him for assuming everything Hinata does is on a whim and meaningless, but who _else_ would get tattoos of insects?

“Wow. That’s wild. You guys haven’t even been in Tokyo for a month!” He hums to himself. “I wonder if Ya-chan knows.”

“Don’t tell her!” If Hinata has been trying to keep them a secret, which the wrapped finger seems to indicate, Tsukishima doesn’t want to be the reason everyone finds out.

“Eh? It’s a secret? Then why did you tell me?” Of everyone Tsukishima knows Yamaguchi is the best at keeping secrets, so the panicked face on his laptop screen makes no sense.

“I wanted to check he didn’t have them before.” Tsukishima admits. “We’ve never spent this much time alone.”

“And you thought that nobody would have mentioned it once in your presence?” More like he’d fail to notice even if they did, but it’s close enough that Tsukishima just shrugs in agreement. “No Tsukki.” He giggles on his end, the sound trickling through at a deeper pitch than Tsukishima knows it sounds like face to face. “Shouyou definitely did not have any tattoos when he left Miyagi.”

“That’s what I thought.”

“I wonder if Tobio knows.” Hinata did say he’d seen Kageyama a couple of nights ago. And Kageyama is even worse at keeping people updated than Tsukishima is. “Do you think Kenma-san has tattoos? He does dye his hair! Maybe he took him to get them done!” The relief of not being completely unobservant is starting to morph into regret at telling Yamaguchi at all. Before the night is over he’ll have thought of at least three outlandish scenarios that led to Hinata being forced into insect tattoo pacts and probably end up alerting Sugawara.

“He dyes his hair to blend in.” He’s lost count of the number of times Hinata’s told him.

“Eh? Really? It kind of does the opposite… Tokyo is different I guess.”

“Yeah, kind of. It’s not so bad though. Hokkaido too I bet?” Yamaguchi nods, smiling wider. There was a time when he’d forget to ask after other people, Yamaguchi especially, but he’s getting better. His mother will only pester him later on if he has no updates on Yamaguchi for her.

“It’s colder, but the university includes heating at a set price so we’ve already got ours turned on.”

“What’s your roommate like?” Although he’s gone to Hokkaido with Yachi, Yamaguchi signed up for university housing; the two of them were too chicken to move in together straight out of high school.

“I have two! Nishida and Shibuya; Nishida is a little short and kind of quiet, but he’s a really good cook and Shibuya is taller and has strange taste in music. He likes to play it really loud when he’s cleaning up or studying.”

“Are they on the volleyball team?”

“No, but Nishida swims so our schedules match up some days and we go home together.” Tsukishima doesn’t ask what his new team is like, mostly because he can’t imagine starting all on his own; Yamaguchi has always been the braver one out of them both.

“And Yachi?”

Yamaguchi assures him that she’s fine too, they both are, if not a little overwhelmed by how full on their work load is already. As a graduation gift Yachi had kitted them all out with a mountain of new stationary, binders, prompt cards and cute post-it notes so it’s more likely a case of Yachi taking on extra work than actually being overwhelmed.

“Text me your address so we can send you a Hokkaido postcard!” Yamaguchi tells him just after his housemates poke their head in to tell him it’s dinner time. “And you guys send us one too!” Tsukishima doesn’t get a chance to ask whether _guys_ means him and Akaashi or him, Hinata and Kageyama.

* * *

“Are you staying here for Golden Week?” Hinata’s perched on the taller of the two stools on the other side of the counter. This way, he’d reasoned, he’s at the same height as Tsukishima so it’s easier for them to share notes.

“Yeah. Akiteru might come here.” Yamaguchi is staying in Hokkaido so he hadn’t really seen the point of spending money to go to Miyagi. “You?”

“Mhm. I promised Natsu and Yuuji I’d visit! But Tobio’s going to come with me so we’ll spy on Karasuno to make sure Ishikawa is keeping them all in line.” He swings his legs happily, colouring in the diagram Tsukishima has given him instead of annotating it like he was supposed to.

“Yuuji?” The name sounds familiar.

“Yeah, you know, Terushima Yuuji? Johzenji Mr. Close-Cropped Hair Playboy?”

“Oh. The guy with the tongue piercing?” Tsukishima frowns, wondering when exactly Hinata had gotten on first name basis with such a character.

“Yeah! I promised him I’d see him in Golden Week for a match.” His eyes sparkle excitedly. “I’m trying to get Kenma to agree to come because he’s never visited Miyagi before and it would be cool to have two setters! And I think they’d get on really well!”

“You think Kenma and Terushima will get on _really well_?” Tsukishima has never been more skeptical of anything in his life. They’re essentially the inverse of each other.

“Mhm-hmm. They both like to dye half their hair blonde!” He nods like all you need for a true, meaningful friendship is a similar hair style. “Oarhh! You should come too!”

“No, thank you.” The meeting sounds bizarre enough without him added in the mix.

“Boring. We’ll be back for the reunion though!” Hinata chirps on instead of pushing it like he might have once upon a time. It’s a nuisance that he’s gotten so good at deciphering between Tsukishima’s tones.

“Reunion?”

“Wah! The meet-up?” Kuroo and Bokuto had mentioned something about how the last couple of years the people who’d ended up in Tokyo had got together to hang out during festivals and holidays. He hadn’t referred to it as a reunion. Tsukishima wouldn’t have agreed to go if he knew it was going to be such a lame event. “You’re going right?”

“I believe so.” His attendance at the moment is questionable.

“It will be so cool! I haven’t seen Tanaka-san, Tora-san or Noya-san since they came round for pizza when we first moved in! And Kenma said Oikawa and Iwaizumi usually come! I haven’t told Tobio because I really want to see the look on his face!” Kageyama’s mortification _is_ a good incentive to go. “Probably also Inuoka and Shibayama will be there because they’ll return home for Golden Week right?”

“Is there anyone you don’t keep in contact with?” Tsukishima is exhausted just from trying to picture all these people’s faces. Karasuno members are one thing – even if they don’t talk for weeks on end as soon as they do it’s like no time has passed at all, falling back into their old roles as teammates easily. Akaashi was more of a casual acquaintance than a close, personal friend before they moved in together. A union of convenience and the shared feeling that living with each other was preferable to anyone else. Bokuto and Kuroo require limited effort because they’re so forceful and present with their friendship that Tsukishima is carried along by their momentum. And even then he imagines if he weren’t living in Tokyo with Akaashi they’d fizzle out.

“Hmmm…” Hinata’s face scrunches in on itself. “I only keep in contact with cool people.” He decides eventually, eyes widening as if he’s just experienced an epiphany. “And most volleyball players are cool!”

“You’re so simple.” He tells him, forgetting to make it sound like a jibe.

“You can be simple too!” Hinata encourages, seemingly unbothered when his colouring fails to stay in the lines.

“What and have to vacuum my friend’s flat in exchange for tutoring?” He sneers smugly. He’d asked Akaashi what needed to be done the most and vacuuming is perfect as Hinata won’t be able to talk over the noise.

“Wah!” Hinata jolts in his stool, hand skittering across the page and leaving a deep purple line. “We’re friends?”

“What?” Tsukishima feels his face burn red. Surely he’s called Hinata his friend before? He must have done. It’s been three years. They’d made a friendship pact to go to the same university together, hadn’t they? The way Hinata’s eyes shine with wonder, dazzling in their intensity, makes Tsukishima doubt himself.

“Obviously.” The smile that breaks across Hinata’s face causes Tsukishima to frown even more deeply. He has no right to be so happy about something so trivial. He pushes himself away from the counter. “Your free time is up.”

He manoeuvres himself around to Hinata’s side, opening the cupboard they keep the vacuum in. Hinata doesn’t complain once as he flits about the place, cooing at everything he passes on his journey with the hoover. He’s been to Tsukishima’s flat before, more times than any of his other friends unless Bokuto counts, but he still acts like it’s the first time, entranced by everything. Tsukishima tails him down the tight hallway and first into Akaashi’s room and then his own. He’d probably break something if he was left to his own devices after all.

“Uwah! I can’t believe you kept it!” Hinata yells out, toeing the vacuum off and scrambling onto Tsukishima’s desk chair. His fingers reach out to grab the cactus on Tsukishima’s shelf. The cactus that Hinata had given him as a moving-in present.

“Why wouldn’t I?” It’s not like he’d brought it over from Miyagi.

“I don’t know. I didn’t think you would.” Hinata shrugs, stroking the plant pot fondly like he’s found an old friend in an unexpected place. “Did you ever name it?” He peers down curiously at Tsukishima.

“Why would I name it?”

“Plants grow better if they’re loved and nurtured.” He states matter-of-factly, tip-toeing up to poke it back into place on Tsukishima’s shelf. As he does so his shirt rides up and Tsukishima’s eyes grow wide. Curling around his belly button is a worm. It’s longer than the bumblebees and bigger than the ladybug, one end of it looping dangerously near his waistband. The almost brown pink of it complements Hinata’s natural skin tone in a way that makes Tsukishima’s throat constrict.

“Hinata.” He feels strangely aware of how good the worm looks, of how he’s practically checking out his friend in his bedroom.

“Eh?” Hinata stares down at him with flushed cheeks. “You can’t name it Hinata!” It’s clear he’s misinterpreted Tsukishima’s floundering for an answer to his question.

“What?” They blink at each other. Hinata looks away first, biting into his bottom lip.

“It’s your cactus. Call it whatever you want.” He shrugs before jumping off of Tsukishima’s desk and dragging the vacuum out into the hall. Tsukishima sighs. Not only did he waste the perfect moment to ask about the insect tattoos, but now Hinata thinks he’s decided to name his cactus after him. Wonderful.

* * *

“Shrimpy has three hundred per cent stolen him from me!” Kuroo grumbles from the floor. Tsukishima and Bokuto are sitting at one end of the sofa each; Akaashi lost at four-way Rock, Paper, Scissors so has gone to fetch them something for dinner.

“It’s nice.” Insists Bokuto, kicking Kuroo in the side of the head. “They’re like two cute forest fairies flitting across the country together.”

“With Kageyama.” Tsukishima reminds them, wondering why he feels better about Kenma going with Hinata to Miyagi for a couple of days knowing that it’s as a trio rather than as a duo.

“I still don’t like it.” Kuroo pouts. “This is the furthest he’s ever gone and it’s not even with me!”

“Ohoho!” Bokuto jolts up excitedly. “Furthest in what way?” He waggles his eyebrows.

“Gross.” Kuroo pinches behind Bokuto’s knee. “He’s like my little brother! I wouldn’t want to go anywhere with him like _that_.” He shudders.

“So then why do you care if he goes anywhere with Hinata? He could do a lot worse than Shrimpy!” Bokuto frowns, clearly confused.

“I don’t _care_. I just feel like maybe… oh whatever, it’s stupid.” Kuroo slumps further down onto the floor, hugging his knees close to himself.

“You obviously care.” Tsukishima kindly points out.

“Ney, Tsukki you understand right?” Kuroo tips his head backwards and blinks at him upside down. “Yams left you for Yachi. Don't you ever feel left out?”

“Oh.” Tsukishima has never really thought about it like that. The way he sees it Yamaguchi left him for himself, to pursue his own dreams, not substitute chasing Tsukishima with chasing Yachi. “Not really.” He decides. Even if that is the case it’s not like he’s ever had romantic feelings towards Yamaguchi. “He’s my oldest friend.” He’s not threatened by Yachi, nor does he feel left out of their relationship.

“I forgot you were such an unemotional egg.” Kuroo wails, turning his head to rest on Tsukishima’s knee. “Don’t you get sad that all your friends have begun to embark on romantic adventures and you’re not?”

“Uhm.” Tsukishima hadn’t really noticed. “Yamaguchi and Yachi don’t live together.” And he lives with Akaashi whilst Bokuto lives with Kuroo. Hardly adventurous.

“Tanaka and Noya live together.” Kuroo argues as if that has a major impact on Tsukishima’s life. “Shrimpy and Kenma too! And they go on trips together!”

“Tora lives with Tanaka and Noya.” Bokuto reminds Kuroo, patting his head gently. “I imagine it’s not as romantic as you think it is.”

“And Hinata isn’t dating Kenma.” He sees Hinata almost every day of his life, either at practice or one of their shared lectures. Even on days off Hinata tends to invite himself over to Tsukishima’s for one reason or another. There’s no way that he wouldn’t proudly blurt out that he’s dating Kenma in all that time.

“But they share a bed.” Kuroo looks up at Tsukishima pitifully.

“They pushed two single beds together to save space.” Which admittedly might be more strange if Hinata wasn’t involved and both of them weren’t half the size of average people. The likelihood of them touching each other in their sleep seems small to Tsukishima.

“He’s bringing him home to meet his family! And stay in his house!” Kuroo throws his hands into the air as if Tsukishima is being dense on purpose.

“He’s bringing him home so they’ll have two setters for their volleyball game.” That’s what Hinata had told him.

“What volleyball game?” Kuroo twists his body around, propping his chin up onto Tsukishima’s knee and blinking at him right side up.

“Hinata promised this Johzenji guy Terushima he’d see him in Golden Week for a game.” He explains, unsure why this conversation is annoying him slightly.

“And we don’t like the Johzenji guy?” Bokuto looks at Tsukishima carefully.

“Who said that?” Tsukishima doesn’t deny it though. He’s seen Terushima manhandle Hinata enough times to know he’s bad news.

“You said his name like it tasted bad.” Kuroo points out, grinning up at him. “Not a fan of this Terushima, Tsukki?”

“He’s fine.” Tsukishima lies. “He’s just an annoying delinquent. Bleached half-cut with a tongue piercing.”

“Bro! Did you hear that? Shrimpy has taken my Pudding Head to meet some delinquent!” Kuroo drops his head into Tsukishima’s lap. “If one strand on his hair is messed with I’ll skin you alive.” He tells Tsukishima confidently.

“Kenma is more capable of looking after himself than you are.” The three of them turn to look up at Akaashi; Tsukishima’s always been jealous of how quietly he’s capable of moving.

“Akaashi!” Bokuto’s face brightens immediately. “I’ll help you!” He jumps up and takes the food bags from Akaashi, pushing him gently into the seat he just vacated and flitting over to the kitchen to grab them some plates.

“Stop bumming everyone out just because your advances on mystery boy are failing.” Akaashi flicks Kuroo on the nose before tucking his feet under himself and reaching for the channel-changing-stick.

“What mystery boy?” Tsukishima narrows his eyes at Kuroo.

“Ohoho!” Bokuto dumps a handful of cutlery onto the floor and sits on the arm of the sofa, curling around Akaashi. “He bumped into some volleyball guy at the gym and is in love.”

“I’m not in love.” Kuroo scowls, but his pink cheeks are fooling no one.

“What volleyball guy?”

“It’s a mystery!” Bokuto yells, delighted by Kuroo’s discomfort.

“We know him, apparently, so he won’t tell us who it is.” Akaashi smiles wickedly.

“And all his best moves have failed,” Bokuto flutters his eyelashes down at Kuroo.

“They haven’t failed. He’s just failed to realise that they’re moves. He thinks I’m being friendly.” Kuroo busies himself with opening food containers as if they won’t notice his blush has taken over his entire face if he doesn’t look directly at them.

“So why were you so worked up about Kenma?” Tsukishima leans over to help with dishing out the food.

“He’s like my little brother! It’s embarrassing that he’s better at this than me. He’s already shacked up with the Shrimp!”

“They’re not dating.”

“Why are you so adamant they’re not?” Kuroo raises an eyebrow at him, challenging as always.

“Hinata would have told me if they were.” And he wouldn’t spend all his free time pestering Tsukishima for tutoring lessons.

“He’s here most weekends.” Adds Akaashi, not realising he missed the first take of this conversation. “He’d be a pretty neglectful boyfriend if he kept deserting Kenma on days off.”

“Wait. He spends his weekends here?” Kuroo’s mouth tips up wickedly. “And not with Kageyama?”

“You see him every day at university too!” Bokuto seems to be catching on when Tsukishima is as usual three steps behind.

“Ohoho! Don’t tell me you’re actually _fond_ of Shrimpy? This is just precious!” Kuroo takes a huge mouthful of noodles, sucking a straggler up and chortling to himself.

“Why is everyone so surprised that we’re friends?” Tsukishima stabs a piece of pork more violently than he really needs to. Hinata had seemed shocked too. They’ve been teammates for three years. Of course he’s grown accustomed to having him by his side.

“Tsukki!” Bokuto squeaks, eyes wide.

“Leave him alone.” Akaashi warns, jabbing him in the side with his chopsticks.

“But it’s so cute!” Bokuto wails. “He hasn’t even realised!”

“Realised what?” Tsukishima eyes the three of them carefully. Maybe they’re privy to the tattoos. Kenma would most likely have told Kuroo who would have told Bokuto and Akaashi. He wouldn’t even be surprised if it turned out they were part of this strange insect tattoo sector of Tokyo.

“That Kuroo’s not the only lovesick idiot in the room!” Bokuto’s cheer rapidly turns into a screech as Akaashi elbows him off the arm of the sofa and onto the floor.

“What?” Tsukishima stares at Kuroo. Akaashi glares at Kuroo. Kuroo’s eyes flit back and forth between the two of them, clearly unsure who scares him the most. He swallows.

“You’re in love with the Shrimp, duh.” He decides at last, ducking as Akaashi hurtles a chopstick at his head.

“What?” Tsukishima laughs so hard he snorts. Everyone seems slightly taken aback by it. His stomach starts to hurt he laughs so hard and he has to take off his glasses for a second to brush the tears out of his eyes. “I’m not in love with Hinata!” The very idea is ludicrous.

“Of course you’re not.” Kuroo looks at him with a calculated grin. He doesn’t see the second chopstick until it’s too late.

“Leave him alone.” Akaashi shuffles slightly closer to Tsukishima. “If he says he’s not in love then he’s not in love.”

“But he is in love.” Whispers Bokuto from the floor. “He’s obviously in love Akaashi.”

“How often do you think about him?” Kuroo asks suddenly. A stupid question when Tsukishima sees Hinata practically every day so of course he thinks about him daily.

“All the time!” Bokuto answers for him, crawling around on the floor to Kuroo’s side.

“I see him most days.” Tsukishima deadpans. “That doesn’t mean I’m in love with him.”

“Okay so how often do you think about him when he’s not around?” Kuroo is enjoying this more than Tsukishima likes.

“You’re thinking about him right now!” Bokuto shouts shrilly, as if it’s the most conclusive evidence of love he’s ever witnessed.

“You brought him up.” And he hardly ever thinks about Hinata when he’s not around. Except when he remembers the tattoos. Especially the worm that lives on his belly. And maybe a couple of times he’s drifted off to sleep wondering if he’s hiding any more under his clothes. And sometimes when he looks up and sees the cactus sitting on his shelf, but only because he’s still not got around to giving it an actual name and he feels flashes of embarrassment at the fact that Hinata thinks he’s named it after him. But those are normal thoughts to have about friends.

“Ah, that’s true bro, you did bring him up.” Bokuto looks dejectedly at Kuroo.

“Maybe you’re in love with him.” Tsukishima only says it to show how ridiculous they’re being, but Kuroo smiles, cat-like and awful, and Tsukishima knows he’s made a mistake somehow.

“So what if I am?” Kuroo takes another mouthful of noodles, chewing slowly. “So what if Shrimpy is my mystery gym volleyball guy? I have your blessing right?” He swallows, licking his lips. “He’s just your friend so you don’t mind if I come clean one day after a work-out session, right? I think about it every time I see him running on the treadmill, sweat dripping down the back of his neck. What would he do if I pushed him up against the locker room wall roughly?”

“Kuroo.” Akaashi cuts across, voice icier than before.

“What? Tsukki doesn’t mind, right?” He tips his head up at Tsukishima. “If I start stealing Shrimp away from him on weekends to run my fingers through his hair as he licks his way down my navel-”

“Kuroo!” Akaashi upturns his entire container onto Kuroo in a move so fluid nobody sees it coming. It happens so quickly that Bokuto and Tsukishima end up in the splatter zone too, sauce dripping off of Tsukishima’s shins and noodles decorating Bokuto’s forearm. Kuroo, of course, ends up with a lap full of noodles and a sauce splattered face. There’s a beat of silence where Tsukishima starts to panic that they’ll fight, that he’ll indirectly be the cause of it, but then Kuroo tips his head back and howls with laughter.

“Akaashi!” He scoops up a great handful of noodles from his lap and flicks them at Akaashi. “I can’t believe you just did that!” Bokuto wipes his arm clean across the back of Kuroo’s shirt.

“He’s a very protective mother owl.” He grins happily up at Akaashi. “Tsukki is our son? I didn’t know!” He elbows Kuroo lightly. “Stop picking on my family, you scoundrel.” He tells him, voice dropped to a lower pitch than normal and then winks at Akaashi.

“Bro!” Kuroo, still laughing, smears some sauce across Bokuto’s forehead with his thumb. “ _Simba_.” He whispers seriously and Bokuto bursts into giggles.

“Sorry Tsukki.” Akaashi pats him on the shoulder as he stands up. “Don’t let it get to you.” Tsukishima doesn’t say anything, eating his food silently and nodding as thanks to Akaashi when he returns with some paper towels.

“It isn’t the Shrimp, you know?” Kuroo tells him, hours later as he flops down next to Tsukishima on the sofa. He’s finally showered and has borrowed some of Bokuto’s clothes – he’s forever leaving his stuff lying around – to go home in. His hair rests across his face more than usual.

“What isn’t Hinata?”

“My gym guy.” Kuroo rolls his hand in the air at Tsukishima.

“I know.” Kuroo raises an eyebrow curiously. “Hinata doesn’t go to the gym.” He shrugs, turning his attention back to the T.V. At least he’s never once mentioned going to any gym. It’s possible he has a pre-tattoo work out. How would Tsukishima ever know? Kuroo chuckles warmly in his ear.

“You’re cute Tsukki.” He tells him, voice oddly sincere. “No one is taking the Shrimp from you, don’t worry.” Tsukishima hums noncommittally. He can’t say he’s not worried as that implies that Hinata is his, when he isn’t. He also can’t say that he’s not worried because there’s a small part of him that is. A tiny part of him that reacted violently against the idea of Kuroo combing his hands through Hinata’s hair in any context. 

“Hinata’s not mine.” He settles for, voice void of any emotion. He doesn’t care. It would be weird of him to care.

“Yet!” Kuroo ruffles his hair as he stands up. “You’re still coming Tuesday, right?” He calls out from the doorway. “I’ll sponsor you the whole day as an apology, so don’t bring any money!” The door clicks closed before Tsukishima can argue with him.

* * *

“Shouyou!” Nishinoya screams, bursting into a run and throwing himself into the air for Hinata to catch. They tumble down onto the grass together, laughing happily. Tanaka scoops them up into a hug.

“Kenma!” Kuroo bolts away from Tsukishima mid-sentence in his hurry to get to Kenma. He twirls him around as Kenma attempts to kick his way free.

“Shou-chan!” Tanaka whistles as he plants Noya and Hinata back onto the ground. “Nice haircut!” And it’s only then that Tsukishima notices. He stares. And he stares. Hinata’s face flushes red as he runs his fingers through it, unsure of himself.

“Really? I didn’t know if I liked it.”

“Yeah! It looks so cool!” Yamamoto booms, appearing from behind Hinata and rubbing his knuckles into the top of his head. It’s like a bad joke. He blames Kuroo for awakening this strange feeling rolling in his gut as he watches everyone run their hands through Hinata’s hair. He didn’t care before, right? It would be weird of him to care now. Maybe he doesn’t actually care. Maybe he only thinks he cares because Kuroo had made tugging Hinata’s hair seem perverse; it’s strange to think about Hinata in perverse situations with other people.

“He got a haircut?” Tsukishima asks Kageyama, wondering why in the past twenty minutes he didn’t see fit to mention it.

“Oh,” Kageyama looks over to where Ennoshita has joined the Hinata’s New Hair Appreciation Club. “Yeah. He bet Terushima that he and Kenma could beat us in a two versus two and lost.”

“Oh.”

“Terushima chose cutting his hair as his payment.” Kageyama narrows his eyes critically at Hinata. “I don’t think it looks bad.”

“It doesn’t.” Tsukishima agrees before he can stop himself. It’s obvious Terushima is the one who came up with the hairstyle as it’s the exact same as his own; the under half of Hinata’s hair has been shaved down to almost a buzz cut and the top half has been trimmed a little, but is still long enough that it bobs along with every movement his head makes. “It makes him look older.” He adds at Kageyama’s raised eyebrow. “Maybe now people will stop mistaking him for a middle schooler.”

“Ack!” Tsukishima jumps, swivelling around to come face to face with Hinata. “Mean!” Hinata pouts, puffing his cheeks out in the way that makes him look like an angry hamster.

“I meant it as a compliment.” Tsukishima insists, rolling his eyes when Hinata squawks louder. “It’s nice.”

“Really?” Hinata peers up at him; he always manages to forget how large his eyes are. He holds his hand out as if to touch his hair then stops himself.

“Shrimpy!” Kuroo drags him into a headlock from behind. “Almost didn’t recognise you with your bad city boy hairdo!”

“Kuroo-senpai!” Hinata flails from under his arm.

“It’s a country boy hairdo.” Kageyama sounds confused. “Terushima gave it to him in Miyagi.”

“Ohoho!” Kuroo glances up at Tsukishima before angling Hinata to look at him. “Who is this Terushima I keep hearing so much about?”

“Eh?” Hinata blinks, bemused.

“He played for Johzenji.” Kageyama supplies. “The year above us.”

“Ohhh, got yourself an older man have you Shrimpy?”

“Wah! Really?” Bokuto materialises on Hinata’s other side. “Good for you!” He thumps him good-naturedly on the back.

“A step ahead of you, right Kuroo?” Tsukishima glowers, disliking how they both seem to be pawing over Hinata in front of him on purpose. If they’re waiting for him to react then they’ll be waiting all day; Hinata is just his friend after all.

“Yuuji isn’t my boyfriend.” Hinata flaps both his hands erratically, pushing Kuroo and Bokuto away. He twists his body down and up sharply, dancing out of their grip and shields himself behind Tsukishima, poking his tongue out at them from under Tsukishima’s elbow.

“Yuuji?” Kuroo sings into the sky. “Did ya hear that bro? They’re first name friendly already!”

“I thought he was a delinquent?” Bokuto taps his chin thoughtfully. “Yuuji sounds way too nice to be a delinquent! Yuuji sounds like he’d share his lunch with me every day.”

“He wouldn’t.” Tsukishima doesn’t even know Terushima that well, but even he knows he’d sooner steal someone else's lunch than share his own. Hinata snickers behind him.

“Are you on my side?” He whispers up at him. “I can’t believe it; Tsukishima defending my honour.”

“Well… are you dating him?” Tsukishima raises an eyebrow, decidedly ignoring the strange swooping sensation in his stomach as he thinks about the possible answers to that question.

“Pfft. No.” Hinata pulls a face like he’s swallowed something sour.

“Well then. I’m not defending you. I’m defending the truth.” Hinata narrows his eyes.

“Are you trying to sound cool again? Because it’s not working… again.” Kageyama splutters out a laugh.

“ _Again_? How often do you try to sound cool?”

“Yeah Tsukki,” Kuroo trills his name teasingly, “how often do you try to sound cool?”

“I hate all of you.” Tsukishima spits, walking away from them without a backwards glance. Being climbed on by Noya is preferable to spending any more time with such idiots.

“Have you gotten taller?” Yamamoto asks, sounding impressed despite squaring up his shoulders as if he’s looking for a fight. “You seem taller.”

“His muscles have just filled out a little.” Ennoshita rolls his eyes, patting Yamamoto’s shoulder fondly. “Have you found out when Inuoka and Shibayama will be here? Then we can start.”

“I thought Daichi-san said he was coming?” Noya sulks. Tsukishima didn’t even know Sawamura was in Tokyo.

“Shh.” Ennoshita clamps a hand over Noya’s mouth, eyes burning at him. “ _Secretly_ coming. _Secretly_ , remember?”

“With Oikawa-san and Iwaizumi-san too, right? Right?” Tanaka hops from foot to foot excitedly.

“They said they’d be here by now.” Ennoshita adds, frowning down at his phone. “They must have got held up.”

“Shouyou!” Tsukishima follows the bounding figure of Inuoka as he barrels his way across the park and throws Hinata into the air.

“Is he on first names terms with everyone?”

“Huh?” Ennoshita looks up, following Tsukishima’s line of sight. “Shouyou’s always been friendly.” He seems puzzled. Tsukishima didn’t mean for anyone to hear him.

“Yo.” A familiar voice calls out to their right. It’s strange watching Noya, Tanaka and Ennoshita immediately revert to how they were when Tsukishima first met them, eyes sparkling and full of awe as they look up at Sawamura as their Captain. Hinata and Kageyama flock to him too; Tsukishima floats over only to be polite, but finds himself jerked into a group hug anyway. It feels weird without Yamaguchi.

“Is it just me or is the percentage of Karasuno members a little higher than usual?”

“Wah!” Hinata’s eyes look ready to pop out of his head. “Great King!” It’s funny how surprised he looks even though he was the one who told Tsukishima they were coming along. He ends up missing Kageyama’s reaction altogether.

“Chibi-chan.“ Oikawa nods. “I’m surprised you got the grades to get into a Tokyo university.”

“Oikawa.” Iwaizumi growls from behind. “Be nice.”

“Iwa-chan! He started it!”

“Sawamura! I didn’t know you were coming!” Bokuto is in high spirits as he throws himself onto Sawamura’s back.

“Are there more Miyagi players than Tokyo ones here?” Sawamura eyes the group around him.

“Your troublesome first years tip the scale as usual.” Oikawa flicks Hinata on the forehead, as if he isn't from Miyagi himself.

“So what are the teams?” Tsukishima knows the signs of when Bokuto is becoming too restless and needs to release some energy by playing, so he’s all for playing as soon as possible. That option comes with the added bonus of not having to talk to so many people, but still looking like an active participant of the meet-up.

“Chikara should be a Captain!” Yells Yamamoto, holding up Ennoshita’s arm into the air proudly. Everyone stares at him. “Well, we have too many third year Captains!”

“I’m fine with that.” Sawamura laughs happily.

“I want to be on Sawamura’s team.” Bokuto decides, still hanging off his back. “Akaashi too!”

“Alright, then me and Iwa-chan will go with the Kitty Captain.” Oikawa smiles sweetly in a way which gives Tsukishima the creeps. But it’s only as Oikawa leans his elbow off of Kuroo’s shoulder that Tsukishima realises he’s been quiet ever since they showed up.

“I don’t want to Captain either of those teams.” Ennoshita admits, looking worriedly from one threesome to the other.

“How about no Captains?” Bokuto’s suggestion is met with a mixed reception. Some people think it’s a great idea as they just want to play – Bokuto, Tanaka, Yamamoto, Inuoka, Noya – some think that’s just asking for everything to descend into chaos – Akaashi, Ennoshita, Oikawa, Kenma. In the end Akaashi and Iwaizumi are made Captains. Sawamura and Kuroo immediately grab for their own liberoes as Akaashi and Iwaizumi seem to agree on teams without picking them off one by one until someone’s last.

Team Iwaizumi ends up with: Oikawa, Kuroo, Shibayama, Tanaka, Ennoshita, Inuoka and Hinata. Bokuto, Sawamura, Nishinoya, Yamamoto, Kenma, Kageyama and Tsukishima all fall into Team Akaashi. They agree to just play eight aside, as this is a match just for fun. Debatable Tsukishima thinks, considering how much time they’ve taken to split the teams.

“Organised fun!” Yamamoto tells him happily. “It’s Chikara’s favourite kind!” As they line up on either side of the net Tsukishima already feels like this will be the exact opposite of fun. He’s never played with Bokuto and Akaashi before. He’s already exhausted by Bokuto’s excited mode, if he enters dejected mode mid-match he doesn’t know if he’ll be able to survive. Not to mention how he’s not played against Hinata in a long time. Even at practice now they tend to be sorted onto the same side; they can read each other so well that they play better together. Hinata catches his eye through the net.

“When we beat you,” he mouths slowly, “you have to give me free tutoring lessons for a month.”

“If you beat us.” Tsukishima mouths back, smirking down at him. “And if we beat you.” He closes his mouth abruptly, thinking. _You’ll let me touch your tattoos_ he’d almost said. It’s what he wants, but he can’t mouth that here. “I’ll think of something.”

“Deal.” Hinata smiles broadly. Tsukishima recognises the jittering in Hinata’s toes. He hasn’t seen him this excited in a long, long time. Perhaps the match won’t be all bad then.

Best-of-Three evolves into Best-of-Five and then Best-of-Seven. Before someone can make it Best-of-Nine, Akaashi and Iwaizumi make a joint Captain decision to stop playing. Tsukishima is glad Bokuto wasn’t given the power to decide or they’d be playing all night long.

“Uwah!” Hinata flops down next to Tsukishima on the grass. The sun set almost an hour ago but the air is still a little too warm for all this excursion. “Have you thought of something?” He asks, breathless.

“What?”

“You beat us.” Hinata exhales heavily. “I really thought we could do it. But I guess Kageyama out-grew the Great King.”

“Volleyball is a team sport.” They’ve both been given the same lecture so many times over the years; it’s not about who has the better members but who has the better team.

“And you out-grew Kuroo-senpai.” Hinata continues as if Tsukishima hadn’t spoken at all. “It was a little lonely being on the other side of the net to you guys without Tadashi.”

“You miss Yamaguchi?”

“Yeah! We're the Awesome Foursome!” Tsukishima is certain he’s never heard them be referred to that once in his life. “We’d have won if we had him.” The confidence in which Hinata says this makes Tsukishima inclined to agree with him.

“He was always the coolest one of us.” Hinata leans up on his elbows, looking at Tsukishima as if he’s suddenly started speaking another language. Tsukishima squirms. “Has he seen your new hair yet?”

“Ack! No! I didn’t really know if I liked it.” Before he knows what he’s doing Tsukishima has his phone in his hand.

“Sit up then. I’ll send him one.”

“What! But I’m really gross right now!”

“So… like always…”

“Mean!” Hinata sits up to swat at him and Tsukishima clicks the shutter for his phone camera, smirking victoriously. “Wah! No! I wasn’t ready!”

“Smile nicely or that’s the one I’ll send.” Hinata growls exasperated.

“Fine!” He shuffles onto his knees and fluffs his hair a little. “It’s really awkward having a photo on my own. At least get in it with me?”

“Uhm.” Tsukishima’s heartbeat floods his ears. It’s not strange, right? He’s taken photos with Hinata before. He still feels guilty however as he shifts closer and angles his phone at the both of them.

“Tsukki!” Kuroo’s voice is so loud and unexpected that Tsukishima almost cries out loud. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” This seems unlikely considering he’s sat at side of the court they finished playing on minutes before. Hardly difficult to spot. “Shrimpy.” He grins wickedly at Hinata.

“Well you found me.” Tsukishima prompts, stuffing his phone back into his bag and wondering how much of their exchange Kuroo had seen.

“Drinks at Tora’s! You’re coming right?”

“Uhm. No.”

“Uhm. Yes!” Kuroo wrinkles his nose and affects the voice he uses to mock Tsukishima. “How am I meant to be your sponsor if you’re not there?”

“You don’t need to be my sponsor.”

“Kuroo-senpai is your sponsor?” Hinata doesn’t even bother to mask his jealousy.

“Only for the day.” Kuroo winks, at who Tsukishima isn’t sure. “As an apology for my misconduct the other day.” Hinata swivels to stare at the side of Tsukishima’s face.

“What did he do?” He whispers, even though Kuroo can obviously still hear him.

“Oh. I made this joke about yo-“

“Nothing.” Tsukishima stands abruptly, pushing his glasses up his nose and hoping his hand shields enough of his face to hide his blush. “I’ll come to Yamamoto’s if you stop talking. Right now.” Kuroo grins manically, mimes out holding up a trophy and blows kisses to an invisible crowd before running over to Bokuto.

“Yuu?” Hinata furrows his brow. “He made a joke about Noya-senpai?”

“Yeah, kind of.” Tsukishima looks down at him. “Are you coming for drinks?”

“Ah. No, not this time. I promised Kenma that we’d go home after the match. Tell me all about it tomorrow!” Hinata holds his hand up, wordlessly asking for help up. Tsukishima leans over and tugs. As Hinata sprouts to his feet, his shirt sleeve rolls back. Under his arm, so close to his armpit that it’s no wonder Tsukishima’s never seen them before are two snails. The one in front a little bigger than the one behind. “Uhm, Tsukishima?” Hinata pulls his hand out of Tsukishima’s, pink in the face. “Are you okay?”

“Uhh-“

“Tsukki!” Bokuto shouts despite being only a few metres away. “Hurry up, we’re leaving! And make sure to say goodbye properly to your senpai!”

“Bah!” Hinata smacks himself in the head, sprinting towards Sawamura. “See ya tomorrow then!” He shouts at Tsukishima as he races to thank his upperclassmen for a good match.

* * *

“Now there’s snails Yams!” Tsukishima isn’t sure he’s ever called Yamaguchi _Yams_ before but in this moment it feels right.

“Tsukki?” Yamaguchi’s voice sounds echo-y and far away. “Are you okay?”

“No!” He shouts ignoring Noya sat across from him who splutters out a laugh at his expense. “I’m the opposite of okay! Yams what’s the opposite of okay?”

“Not okay.” Tanaka nods sagely next to him. The three of them are huddled on Tanaka and Noya’s bed.

“Exactly! I’m not okay!”

“Where are you?” Yamaguchi sounds more confused than worried, so Tsukishima supposes he recognises Noya and Tanaka’s voices.

After drinking for a couple of hours they had all started watching Yamamoto’s old volleyball videos. For every match they’d each pick a player and take shots when they scored a point or down a drink when they let one go. Ex-Captains, Akaashi included, and Iwaizumi were still playing, but Tsukishima kept seeing Hinata in every match – a player that would jump almost as high as him, run almost as fast, have hair that shined almost as bright – and before he knew it he was phoning to update Yamaguchi on the worm and snail situation because that’s the only explanation he had for having Hinata on his mind. Tanaka and Noya had come along for the fun.

“At Tanaka and Noya and Yamamotooo’s”. For some reason he finds that very funny, his laughter sounding back to him through the receiver.

“Soon to be Chikara’s too!” Noya throws his arms out wide. Tanaka doubles over, giggling to himself.

“Shhh, Yuu! Don’t blab!”

“How am _I_ blabbing?” Noya sounds scandalised. “Tora dragged him to his room in front of _everyone_! They blabbed!”

“Did that happen?” Tanaka looks up at Tsukishima for confirmation, but he has no idea. The last time he saw either Yamamoto or Ennoshita–

“They were sucking face in the kitchen.”

“Sucking face?” Yamaguchi repeats. “Who says sucking face?”

“Kissing.” Tsukishima elaborates, misunderstanding Yamaguchi’s repulsion as incomprehension. “Snogging. You know. Swapping saliva.”

“Their tongues were battling for dominance!” Noya screams excitedly, bursting into fresh laughter.

“He reads a lot of filth.” Tanaka divulges proudly. “Sometimes he reads it aloud to me as a bedtime story.”

“Romantic.” It’s perhaps the first time in his life Tsukishima’s found something truly romantic.

“What’s romantic?” Yamaguchi’s voice sounds farther away than before.

“Noya reads porn to Tanaka before bed.”

“Tsukki!”

“You asked.” An important point Tsukishima feels.

“Why did you call me again?” Tsukishima can’t remember.

“Why did I call Yams?” He asks Tanaka and Noya, trying to hold his finger over his phone so that Yamaguchi can’t hear them. He ends up putting him on loud speaker instead. “Because I miss him?”

“Tsukki?”

“Yes! We all miss him!” Noya throws himself at Tanaka, crawling into his lap and peering down at the phone fondly. “Yamaguuuchi!” He crows. “Why did you move so far away from us?”

“Oh! Noya-senpai! You moved away first.”

“You were supposed to follow me!”

“I thought we rang him because Tsukishima wanted to confess his undying love?” Tanaka mutters, combing Noya’s hair with his fingers.

“Eh? Tsukki’s in love?” Noya turns to look at Tsukishima. “Who do you love?” At the same time Tanaka and Noya seem to become aware of the phone.

“No!” Noya wails, completely heartbroken.

“Yamaguchi!” Tanaka slaps the phone from Tsukishima’s hand, sending it spinning onto the blanket. “No! You mustn’t!”

“He has a Ya-chan!” Noya grips onto Tsukishima’s knee, imploring him to see reason. “Their love is so pure!”

“My love could be pure.” Tsukishima grumbles, feeling irrationally offended that they’d vouch for Yachi instead of him.

“Tsukki?” Yamaguchi’s voice floats up from the blanket. “Did they say you’re _in love_? Tsukki?” Tsukishima blinks but everything is blurry and his hands don’t seem to want to cooperate with his brain.

“Are my glasses on my face?” He asks Tanaka.

“Tsukki’s not in love!” Tanaka screams at the phone instead. “Don’t tell him. He’ll only reject you.” He laments afterwards.

“Watching his senpai fall in love has warped his brain.” Noya murmurs, more subdued now that he’s being groomed by Tanaka.

“I don’t love Yamaguchi!” Tsukishima grits out, hand finally stumbling across his phone accidentally. “I don’t love you Yams.” He apologises, holding the phone up to his ear.

“Eh?” Yamaguchi’s voice is a lot louder than Tsukishima expected now that he’s on loud speaker and he drops it once again in surprise.

“Fuck.”

“Tsukki!”

“Sorry. Yams, I love you like a brother.” He explains in the general direction his phone fell.

“Oh. I love you like a brother too Tsukki.” There’s a slight pause as Tsukishima scrambles to find his phone and Tanaka starts humming a goodnight song into the top of Noya’s hair. “Tsukki… Are you _in love_ with Shouyou?” Tsukishima’s thumb gets to the speaker button a second too late.

“What?” He growls into the receiver.

“Oh.” Tanaka pauses in his humming and looks up startled.

“ _Oh_.” Noya moans half-asleep. “Shouyou!”

“Shou-chan.” Agrees Tanaka, running his fingers along Noya’s spine. “And so the moon fell in love with the sun.”

“Tale as old as time.” Noya hums happily.

“I am not in love with Shouyou!” Yamaguchi sucks in a breath on the other end. “Hinata.” Tsukishima corrects quickly. Everyone around him had been calling him Shouyou; it just slipped off his tongue.

“That’s why you’re so obsessed with his tattoos, isn’t it?”

“I’m not obsessed with his tattoos.” It sounds like a lie even to him.

“Shouyou has tattoos?” Noya opens one eye, peaking at Tsukishima curiously. “Many tattoos?”

“It started with bumblebees. Then there was the ladybug and a worm and today I saw snails!”

“So… he’s collecting bugs?” Tanaka slips a hand underneath Noya’s shirt and continues to stroke his back. Noya purrs appreciatively.

“On his body.” Tsukishima confirms, both into the phone and for Tanaka and Noya. “Tattoos of bugs!”

“He sounds pretty obsessed with Shouyou’s tattoos.” Noya tells Tanaka, curling a hand around Tanaka’s leg.

“They’re just in weird places.” He defends. “And he never mentions them.”

“Oh Yuu, Tsukki is _pouting_.” Noya smiles but doesn’t open his eyes.

“Drunk Tsukki is one of my favourite people. Ever.” He sounds on the verge of falling asleep. Tanaka chuckles fondly and kisses the top of his head.

“I’ll make sure to invite him over more often.”

“That’s why you’re my most favourite person ever.” Noya sighs deeply. Tsukishima would push them both off the bed and onto the floor if they didn’t look so cute.

“C’mon then. What are these weird places?” Tanaka focuses back on Tsukishima, hands continuing to stroke Noya to sleep.

“Bumblebees on his back. Ladybug on his finger. Worm wrapped around his _belly button_.” That’s the one he’s recently been thinking about the most. “Snails coming out of his armpit.”

“Armpit?” Tanaka snorts. “Armpit snails!”

“He has more?” Tsukishima had almost forgotten Yamaguchi was on the other end of his phone.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you! And now he has that Terushima haircut!”

“Eh? He does?”

“Oh. I forgot. We took a photo for you today.”

“ _We_. Tsukki, you _voluntarily_ took a photo? With Shouyou?” Tsukishima can sense where this is going.

“I don’t love him.” Tanaka scoffs.

“Sounds like something someone who loves him would say.” The bedroom door eases open.

“Tsukki?” Akaashi’s head pokes around, Bokuto’s popping into view over his shoulder. “You in here?”

“I don’t love Hinata!”

“Ahh.” Akaashi smiles fondly, flopping down next to him on the bed.

“My eyes!” Kuroo screams outside in the hall. “He’s not in Tora’s room!” Tsukishima watches Kuroo run passed in a blur. Bokuto cackles and takes off after him.

“I wish you would love him.” Akaashi smiles up at Tsukishima, reaching out a hand and tapping the top of his head. His glasses slide down onto his nose and everything is a little less blurry. “It would be so cute.”

“Shouyou is cute.” Tanaka nods enthusiastically; he clearly has a type.

“Yes.” Akaashi rolls his head back and points at Tanaka as if he’s made an excellent point. “But also, you should see the way his eyes shine when he looks at him.”

“His eyes shine when he looks at everyone.” Tsukishima doesn’t mean to sound dejected. It’s just a fact after all.

“It’s different.” Akaashi insists, still talking to Tanaka as if Tsukishima isn’t there. “He comes over to our flat like every weekend to do chores in exchange for Tsukki tutoring him!”

“Oh.” Tanaka’s mouth drops open. He looks at Tsukishima sharply. “Are you stupid?”

“No, that’s why I’m the tutor.” Akaashi and Tanaka share a look.

“Yamaguchi!” Tanaka swipes suddenly at Tsukishima’s phone. “Yama-yama-guchi-guchi! Are you still there?”

“Hello Tanaka-senpai!” Yamaguchi responds dutifully. Tsukishima wonders what the time is; maybe he should let Yamaguchi go to bed after all.

“When was the last time you tutored Shouyou?” Tsukishima opens his mouth but Akaashi motions for him to be silent.

“Eh? Before the end of the second year sometime?” Tsukishima frowns. Hinata had definitely told him that he’d been finding it difficult to concentrate getting tutored through Skype from Yamaguchi and Yachi. Hadn’t he?

“Right. Right.” Tanaka nods meaningfully. “And why did you stop tutoring him?”

“Because he’s clever.” Yamaguchi’s voice rings out clearly. Akaashi and Tanaka watch Tsukishima carefully. “He didn’t need my help anymore.”

“But- but- but-” Tsukishima has been tutoring him on and off since they were first years. Closer to exam time Kageyama, Yamaguchi and Yachi would even join them.

“What?” Akaashi sits up. “You think he got into Tsukuba on a fluke?”

“The boy is taking physics and maths.” Tanaka is looking at Tsukishima incredulously. “He’s like _super_ smart.”

“Super smart.” Echoes Akaashi, giggling to himself once more.

“But- but-” Tsukishima flounders feeling like the blanket he’s sitting on has just been pulled out from underneath him. “He asked me!”

“Eh?” Yamaguchi sounds alert suddenly. “Tsukki, have you been tutoring Shouyou? Since when?”

“Since we were sixteen.” He’s completely lost his grasp on the situation.

“He’s not sixteen anymore.” Akaashi tuts, but he’s still smiling. 

“No shit.” Tsukishima thinks about Hinata’s tattoos and his new hair and the fact that apparently at some point he stopped needing Tsukishima to guide him through every exam and yet he still turns up at his door most weekends begging for help.

“Thank you for your help Yamaguchi!” Tanaka adopts a presenter-type voice. “So now we’re all on the same page I decree it to be bedtime.” He strokes the top of Noya’s head fondly. “He’s drooling all over me.”

“Oh! No problem!” Yamaguchi stutters through the phone just before Tanaka ends the call.

“Tsukki,” Akaashi drags him up by the arm, “let’s go home.” He waves at Tanaka. “Thank you for having us!”

“Anytime! Bring drunk Tsukki again soon!” Akaashi wraps his arm around Tsukishima’s shoulders and they wobble back towards the living room. He can’t tell if he’s supporting Akaashi or Akaashi is supporting him, but they make it in one piece so he supposes it doesn’t matter.

“Bokuto-san?” Akaashi coos into the darkness. The T.V. is still on and throws light onto the bodies in the room. Oikawa and Iwaizumi have fallen asleep curled together on an armchair, wrapped tightly under a blanket, and Tsukishima is a little amazed at the Tetris-type skill that must have gone into getting them to both fit on the one chair. Kuroo is flopped asleep on the sofa, head resting in Sawamura’s lap, whose own head is tilted at such an awkward angle that for a moment Tsukishima thinks he might be dead.

“Akaashi!” Bokuto trills from behind the sofa. His face looks manic in the half-light as he waves a wallet at the two of them. “I knew it!” They shuffle closer. “Sawamura is totally Kuroo’s mystery guy! He has the same gym card.”

“You swiped his wallet?” Akaashi sounds impressed.

“Only to check my theory!” Bokuto makes to drop the wallet onto Sawamura.

“You’re amazing.” The smile on Akaashi’s face is so openly happy that Tsukishima doesn’t blame Bokuto for how flustered he gets.

“Akaaaashi,” his whole face is red, “not in front of our child!” Akaashi giggles into his hand.

“Sorry, sorry. Let’s get a taxi home on Sawamura-san.” All it takes is a wink from Akaashi and Bokuto is pilfering Sawamura’s wallet and dialling for a ride. Akaashi leans in close to Tsukishima‘s ear. “Make sure you wear your earphones tonight Tsukki.”

* * *

Everything, Tsukishima confirms, hurts. His head is pounding, his legs are aching and his throat feels like it’s made of sandpaper. When he tries to blink his eyes open they scream in protest at the sunlight. He trips on his way over to his window to tug the curtain down and slams his knee into the wall. He also smells; he never did shower after their reunion match yesterday.

“Urgh.” Tsukishima turns his phone over so he can pretend like he hasn’t seen the time. He has to leave in roughly eight minutes to make it to practice on time. Maybe he could message Hinata and tell him he was going to skip. Something clicks inside his head as he thinks of Hinata. Something about Hinata from last night that he’d wanted to remember. He squints one eye open, looking around his room for clues.

His eyes land on Hinata the cactus, sitting happily front and centre of his desk instead of in its usual spot on the shelf. Next to it is a pile of permanent markers from the supplies Yachi bought them. He fumbles around his bed for his glasses. Scrawled across the face of the pot in a more botched version of his own hand-writing sits one sentence: **Hinata is a genius.** He crawls forwards to get a better look in case he’s reading it incorrectly. The words remain the same but this shift in viewpoint brings into focus thick, orange scribble that he recognises as Bokuto’s. **Tsukki loves Shrimp.** Next to it there’s a drawing of a glasses wearing volleyball kissing a shrimp. Underneath in smaller writing, but still Bokuto’s, is an apology about only just being told the markers were permanent.

“Shit.” Tsukishima reads his own message and Bokuto’s a dozen times but they still remain the same. Something curls tighter in his stomach and for an awful moment he thinks he might be sick. He reaches back to grab his phone, already fearing the worst, and sure enough not only have both Tanaka and Noya sent him messages of encouragement, but Yamaguchi has left a dozen messages all confirming what he already knows. The only saving grace is that he didn’t send any messages or make any phone calls to Hinata last night. His phone vibrates obnoxiously in his hand, reminding him to leave now or be late to practice.

“Tsukki!” Bokuto chirps at him from the kitchen as he stumbles towards the door. “Where you off to? The Shrimp's?” He waggles his eyebrows.

“I’m late for practice.” He explains, only slightly confused as to why Bokuto is in no apparent hurry to make it to his own practice.

“Pfft! Tsukki, it’s Golden Week. You’ll be about four days early if you go now.” Tsukishima pauses with his hand on the doorknob.

“Oh thank God.”

“What you think we’d let you get that drunk on a school night?” He scoffs at the stove. “We’re _good_ parents Tsukki. Now sit down with mumma and wait for breakfast.” Tsukishima spins around to find Akaashi curled up on the sofa, stuffed under more pillows than he knew they had.

“And no loud noises, please.” Akaashi looks as awful as Tsukishima feels. He drops his bag to the floor and crawls under the pillows at the other end of the sofa.

“How comes you’re not dying?” If Bokuto weren’t currently making him breakfast he’d hate him for being so normal.

“He never gets hangovers.” Akaashi moans. “But he makes really good breakfasts.”

* * *

Tsukishima manages to avoid Hinata for the rest of the week. Hinata the person and the topic of Hinata. He sends Yamaguchi a message to let him know he’s alive, but pointedly ignores all his questioning about his feelings. He leaves Tanaka and Noya’s messages unanswered. Hinata’s too. Akaashi and Bokuto thankfully don’t mention it, even though he catches them staring at him sometimes.

He’s not scared, he tells himself, he just has to make sure. He’s never been in love before and he’s starting to think this isn’t what love feels like. Hinata is just his friend. One of his only friends. Someone who is important to him, sure, but that doesn’t make it love. He wouldn’t want to risk their friendship with such flimsy feeling.

What if he isn’t in love with Hinata at all? What if he’s just let Kuroo plant the idea in his head? It was Kuroo who made him realise how irritating it was to think of Hinata being touched by other people. He was never irritated by it before. He didn’t even think about Hinata being touched by people before. It’s also possible he has a tattoo fetish. He’d never seen one in person before. It was unexpected. Especially on someone like Hinata.

He spends over an hour browsing pictures of tattoos on the internet before determining that he does in fact not have a tattoo fetish. The only tattoos he’d found slightly tantalising were the ones he’d imagined on Hinata’s body. Because it plagues him. Every sliver of skin he gets a flash of has a secret tattoo and Tsukishima is dying to know if he has more. And if he does where are they? So maybe this is a sexual thing and not love. This is his sexual awakening, triggered not because it’s Hinata but because he’s the person Tsukishima spends most of his time with. It’s like Hinata said; he might just like him because he’s the only crow left.

 **Hinata is a genius.** Hinata the cactus tells him constantly. Whenever he’s in his room it’s what he sees first. Bokuto’s message is easy to cover up with paper and even easier to ignore because Bokuto wrote it and it reflects Tsukishima’s point of view. **Hinata is a genius.** It’s not about Tsukishima at all. Tsukishima wrote it himself. Because Hinata got into the University of Tsukuba, not by some happy fluke or as part of a drunken promise with his teammates, but because he’s clever. He studied hard. He deserved it. **Hinata is a genius.** And Tsukishima’s the idiot who’s believed otherwise all this time.

If Yamaguchi thought he was obsessing over the tattoos, he doesn’t know what he’d make of the amount of time Tsukishima has dedicated to trying to riddle this one out. It should be a simple concept to grasp because three people told him like it was the most obvious thing in the world. But if Hinata is a genius, then why did he lie to Tsukishima?

* * *

The night before university starts up again he knows he has to ask him. If he waits until practice the following morning he’s going to blurt it out and embarrass the both of them. Akaashi isn’t around when he pokes his head out of his room, which he’s thankful for at first, then immediately regrets as he turns into the road Hinata’s building is on. Any advice is better than no advice. Kenma answers the buzzer, letting him in without even asking who it is.

“Tsukishima?” Kenma blinks over the top of his console. He’d left the door on the latch and had tucked himself back into his bean bag by the window. “That was you?”

“Uhm… yeah.” They stare at each other for a moment. Tsukishima has never spent any period of time alone with Kenma before.

“Sorry, I thought you were Shouyou,” Kenma shrugs, returning his attention back to his screen. “He was practicing with Kageyama today but sent a message to say he’s on his way home. I thought you were him.”

“Oh.” Tsukishima is comforted by the fact that Kenma doesn’t usually just let anybody into their flat. Kenma spares him another glance.

“You can wait for him wherever. Do you want a snack or something?” Kenma makes as if to put his game down when the buzzer sounds. He relaxes back, smiling. “You can let him in. If you want.”

“Right.” Tsukishima presses the button and opens the door. They’re on the fourth floor but he can still hear Hinata as he rushes up the stairs; he always takes them two at a time. As soon as he sees Tsukishima stood in his doorway he freezes.

“Wah! Tsukishima?” He jolts himself into action so forcefully that even Tsukishima notices it’s fake, springing into the room and closing the door behind him with a bang. It’s the first time Tsukishima realises that it’s possible someone else has already told Hinata. Not Yamaguchi of course but he wouldn’t put it passed Noya or Tanaka.

“Hinata.” Does he normally smile at him? The look Hinata gives him suggests no. He takes a measured breath. “I needed to ask you something.”

“Oh.” Hinata nods at the door before spinning round, smile bright. “Of course. Uhm. Can I shower first? I just. Sweaty with Kageyama.” His eyes dart all over the room in the way Tsukishima knows means he’s nervous. Someone has definitely told him something.

“Sure.” Tsukishima nods slowly. “Take your time.”

“Right!” Hinata nods back at him double speed. “You can wait here,” he takes note of Kenma as if for the first time. “Or in our room. Whatever!” He disappears into the bathroom.

“So,” Kenma stands up, stretching lazily. “I’m going to take a walk. Need anything from the shop?” Tsukishima stares at him. “I’m craving ice cream.”

“Oh.” He shuffles in his bag for his wallet. “Yeah, me too.” Kenma smiles up at him happily, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear as he accepts the wallet. He ducks into his bedroom for a minute, emerging with a jumper on and raps his knuckles against the bathroom door as he walks passed.

“Shou, I’m going for a walk for ice cream. Want anything?” Kenma nods along to Hinata’s muffled response. “I’ll do my best.”

“Kenma,” Tsukishima calls just as he’s about to leave, “thanks.” Kenma holds up Tsukishima’s wallet and salutes him.

"Anytime.” Tsukishima sits down on the sofa, but that feels weird, like he’s made himself too at home. He wanders to the doorway of their bedroom and almost runs away from it because that would be even weirder. Sitting at the table feels too much like a parent about to scold their child. He doesn’t even attempt to sit in Kenma’s bean bag, knowing it would be wrong just from looking at it. By the time he hears the bathroom door ease open he’s back to sitting on the sofa.

“Tsukishima?” Hinata’s voice is quiet and timid, as if he expects to find Tsukishima has taken the opportunity of being alone to run away.

“I’m here.”

“Ah.” He doesn’t look up until Hinata’s stood in front of him, shuffling awkwardly. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Tsukishima raises an eyebrow. He really does look different with his hair like that. Or maybe it’s just because he’s just showered; his hair is always a shade darker when wet.

“I know why you’re here.” Hinata confesses, blowing a billow of air out of his mouth.

“You do?” Tsukishima feels the panic welling up inside him, constricting his throat.

“Mhm.” Hinata looks everywhere but at him. “But before you get mad please don't get mad.”

“What?” Hinata scrunches his eyes closed, chewing on his bottom lip.

“I’m sorry okay. I know it was mean and a big waste of your time.”

“Oh.” Tsukishima stares at him stunned. “You _do_ know?”

“Tadashi sent me a message admitting he blew my cover.” Hinata’s voice is very small. “Of course he didn’t know there was a cover to be blown. He did say there was a possibility that you might not remember because you seemed pretty inebriated.” He uses his first two fingers on each hand to make quotations in the air and smiles weakly.

“Hinata?” Tsukishima feels like he might be sick.

“Tobio shouted at me a lot on your behalf.” He fiddles with the front of his top. “I didn’t realise that me tricking you into helping me study was like me _lying_ to you.” Hinata squeaks over the word ‘lying' as if it hurts him. “I didn’t mean to betray you.” His voice hitches like he’s going to cry and Tsukishima’s suddenly painfully aware that Hinata’s comparing himself to Akiteru.

“No. Wait, Hinata.” Hinata heaves in a shuddering breath, obviously holding back tears and Tsukishima’s no longer upset about being lied to. Not even a little bit. “I don’t care.” Hinata meets his gaze for the first time. “I did care. But not because I thought you’d betrayed me. I thought you were pitying me.”

“Huh?” Hinata shakes his head and sniffs loudly. “What are you talking about?”

“I thought you felt sorry for me and that’s why you were pretending to need help.” Tsukishima stares at Hinata’s feet. “I thought I was your pity friend.” Hinata gasps, ever the dramatic, and takes a step closer to Tsukishima.

“I don’t pity you.” It’s possible he sounds even more upset. “You’re so cool and clever and _tall_. I’m always chasing you.” Tsukishima watches the shadow of Hinata’s arm move towards him and then stop, falling back to his side. He thinks of all of the times he’s flinched away from Hinata’s touch, shrugged him off, battered him away, and told him to leave him alone. Too many to count. So many that maybe now when he finally wants Hinata to reach out and touch him, Hinata doesn’t want to.

“You’re my friend?” His stomach lurches. What if Kuroo wasn’t wrong? What if this isn’t just his sexual awakening? What if the feeling that’s been steadily coiling tighter and tighter inside of him isn’t a result of Hinata being the last crow left, but simply because of Hinata? Hinata’s hand lands on top of his head, smoothing his hair softly. Tsukishima thinks of Noya purring in Tanaka’s lap and wonders how they knew it was a real.

“You’re one of my best friends.” Tsukishima’s seen Hinata cry only a handful of times, but his voice hitches the same way every time, shockingly ugly. He turns to look up at him, noticing the snot dribbling out of his nose.

“I don’t think I want to be your friend anymore.” He says slowly, as gently as he can, and brings his hand up to hold Hinata’s free one. It feels very small.

“Ehh?” Hinata blinks through his tears at their joint hands. “You’re warm?” Tsukishima laughs at his confusion.

“I always have warm hands.” Possibly the only plus point he’d ever bring to a relationship. He turns Hinata’s hand over in his, noting all the little lines. He stops suddenly. The ladybug is gone.

“What did you mean?” Hinata persists, unaware of Tsukishima’s inner turmoil. “Why don’t you want to be my friend?” Tsukishima looks up at Hinata’s face, then down at his ladybug free finger. Has anyone, other than himself, ever mentioned seeing it before? If the ladybug doesn’t exist, is it possible none of them do?

“Hinata.” Tsukishima swallows. He can’t expect Hinata to date someone who on multiple occasions has hallucinated tattoos.

“Tsukishima?” Hinata prompts, wiping his eyes across the back of his arm and smiling encouragingly. Tsukishima’s eyes drop to the front of his top. The worm. He doesn’t register making the decision to do so but the next moment Hinata’s pinned beneath him, shrieking in surprise as Tsukishima lifts up his shirt. The worm is gone. With a growing sense of panic he attempts to flip Hinata over to see if the bumblebees are gone too. Hinata’s hand flies out and hits him in the face, pushing him hard.

“Hinata!”

“Shitty-shima! What are you _doing_?” He kicks his legs up from underneath Tsukishima, tumbling them both onto their sides.

“Hinata!” He grabs at Hinata’s hair, trying to make him stay still. Hinata slips a thumb under his glasses and pokes him in the eye. “Stop moving!”

“What were you doing?” Hinata growls, completely ferocious despite having been a snotty mess two minutes ago. Tsukishima imagines his body is so small there’s only room enough for one emotion at a time. Hinata wedges a knee into his gut, successfully rolling them so he’s on top. “Just because I like you, doesn’t mean you’re allowed to jump me!” Tsukishima grabs at his arm, yanking it forwards to try and get a look at his armpit. Hinata buckles, landing on his chest with a thud.

“Hinata,” Tsukishima sucks deep lungfuls of air, pushing at Hinata’s dead weight on top of him. “Hinata what happened to your tattoos?” He already looks derranged, so he might as well part with the truth. Hinata props himself up slightly looking down at Tsukishima warily, as if he’ll attack any moment.

“My tattoos?” He scratches the side of his nose. Tsukishima gulps.

“You had a ladybug on your finger.” Hinata stares at his hand with wide eyes. “And a worm on your belly. And there were bumblebees on your back and snails in your armpit. I _saw_ them.”

“You saw them?” Hinata looks at him astonished.

“Yes! And now they’re gone.” Tsukishima groans. Yamaguchi, Tanaka and Noya are never going to let him live this down.

“You saw them.” Hinata brings a hand up to cover his mouth, shuddering on top of Tsukishima. “Sorry.” He squeaks, spluttering out the side of his mouth. “Sorry! I’m not laughing at you I promise!”

“Liar.” Tsukishima can feel each giggle as it vibrates through Hinata on top of him. “Stop laughing. I saw them okay.” This only causes Hinata to laugh louder, the bright sound of it filling the room.

“Tsukishima.” He folds himself on top of Tsukishima, positioning his glasses back onto his nose properly for him, and plants a kiss at the corner of his mouth. He leans back, smiling fondly and face pink. Tsukishima brings a hand up to touch the place where Hinata’s lips had just been.

“What?” Hinata rolls his eyes, laughing again at Tsukishima's confusion and then leans back to lift up the bottom of his pyjama shorts.

“Look.” He uses one hand to tug Tsukishima up a little. About two inches up his thigh there’s a caterpillar. It’s green and fluffy and similar in size to the worm. Tsukishima watches transfixed as Hinata wets the end of his thumb and then scrapes at the edge of the caterpillar. It falls off in flecks under his nail. He holds it up to show him. “They’re not real.”

“Oh.” Tsukishima looks from the caterpillar to Hinata’s face. “They’re not real.”

“Temporary.” Hinata snorts delighted. “I can’t even believe you noticed! You must stare at me _all_ the time.”

“Of course I’d notice if you got a bunch of insect tattoos, idiot.” Tsukishima doesn’t know how he feels about the tattoos not being real. On the one hand at least he isn't going crazy. On the other hand he was looking forward to searching for more bugs.

“So you do stare at me all the time?” Tsukishima is suddenly aware of how close they’re pressed together.

“Why do you even have fake tattoos?” Hinata’s blush starts creeping down his neck.

“You’ll laugh.”

“You laughed at me; it’s only fair.” Hinata huffs, already defeated.

“They’re the Hinata sibling pact.” He fidgets, pulling his shorts down over the caterpillar. “Whenever I see Natsu she picks a few and we hide them in places people won’t see when I’m in my kit. If you don’t pick at them or scrub them they take a couple of weeks to disappear. As soon as they’re all gone I have to go and visit her again. It’s our promise.”

“Oh.” Tsukishima doesn’t find it funny at all. “That’s really-”

“Natsu likes insects.”

“Cute.”

“Huh?” They stare at each other for a moment and then Hinata’s face splits into a wide grin. “I can’t believe you actually thought I had tattoos!” He laughs, covering his face. “Of insects!”

“Shut up.” Tsukishima flicks Hinata in the head, grinning when he yelps in pain. “Hinata.” He pauses, fluffing up the top of Hinata’s new hair with one hand. “Shouyou,” he tries, liking the way that it sounds on his tongue. “I think I like you.”

“Really?” Hinata demands shrilly. “You’re not just saying that because I said I liked you?”

“You like me?” The coiled thing in Tsukishima’s stomach starts to ease up a little. It doesn’t hurt so much. He can breathe a little easier too.

“Yes! Obviously! Everyone knows it.” Hinata pouts. “I did say it before, when you were pulling my arms apart.”

“You did?”

“I did.” Hinata nods stubbornly.

“You like me?”

“Yes! I like you.” Hinata barks angrily and the coil inside Tsukishima snaps like an elastic band. He leans forwards and presses his lips firmly onto Hinata’s. Hinata makes a surprised strangled sound and then relaxes, pushing back into Tsukishima. It's warm. 

“I like you too.” Tsukishima tells him, still with his eyes closed as it’s easier that way.

“Wah!” Tsukishima opens his eyes to find Hinata clutching both of his hands around his belly. He looks at Tsukishima, clearly alarmed. “It’s like my insides are making popcorn!”

* * *

It starts with a dragonfly. Just one. The body is narrow and about three inches long. It has four wings that stretch out wider and are criss-crossed with delicate patterns, but Tsukishima chose it because the orange of the body reminds him of Shouyou’s hair.

“How much longer?” He asks again just to see Natsu screw her face up in exasperation.

“Fourteen more seconds.” She tells him after consulting her timer. She’s very professional, small fingers pressing down just below Tsukishima’s collar bone with just the right amount of force. Shouyou swings his legs on the chair next to him impatiently.

“It must have been fourteen seconds already!” On the back of each ankle he has a beetle.

“Three, two, one.” Natsu counts down indignantly before peeling back the damp paper from Tsukishima’s skin. She leans over and blows on the dragonfly carefully. “There.”

“Cool!” Shouyou immediately starts opening his phone to take a photo. “It’s like Karasuno orange.”

“It’s Hinata orange.” Tsukishima corrects softly, enjoying how taken aback Shouyou still looks when he says something sappy.

“And you know what the rule is, right?” Natsu furrows her brow at Tsukishima sternly. She might be half his height, but Tsukishima doesn’t doubt that she‘d beat him in a fight easily.

“As soon as the dragonfly disappears I have to visit you again.” It’s a serious matter so Tsukishima uses his most serious voice. Natsu smiles, satisfied.

“Natsu, get in the middle.” Shouyou drags her between them and lifts one foot across, resting it on Tsukishima‘s shoulder, flashing a beetle. “Smile!” Shouyou commands, eyeing Tsukishima needlessy; he hasn't had to fake a smile in months.

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, I tried. :;(∩´﹏`∩);:


End file.
